mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Such a lovely book. Poor May(Mavis).
The book was in verse, so it wasn't my favourite kind of reading style, but it still was beautiful to read the story of May.
Luckily May is a very strong girl and she keeps going, just fighting and trying to do her daily things even when things look bad.
The book was in verse, so it wasn't my favourite kind of reading style, but it still was beautiful to read the story of May.
Luckily May is a very strong girl and she keeps going, just fighting and trying to do her daily things even when things look bad.
compass_rose's review against another edition
3.0
The main character clearly has dyslexia (not named as such). Story of survival, self-reliance and resilience.
turrean's review against another edition
4.0
#Bookaday. Wow, wow, wow. Loved this one. Written in strong, descriptive verse, this is the story of a girl abandoned on the prairie, who must survive loneliness and deprivation and the memory of her failures at school. A perfect companion to "The Long Winter."
kketelaar's review against another edition
2.0
This is a Children's Choice Award book, and therefore one my son is to read for an upcoming competition. Despite it being a book in verse, and relatively short, he struggled to understand and stay interested in it. Since this is almost an homage to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and since I was one of the few girls on earth who hated those books, I didn't really enjoy it either and I really think it would have a pretty narrow appeal to modern students. Because of the format, there was little historical value as well. It might provide a good springboard to researching life in that era, but it didn't provide a clear picture on its own.
My main issue is that, unless you are dealing with it via a personal acquaintance, I don't think that many children are going to be able to figure out that May has dyslexia. (I have confirmed this by talking to other students who are reading these books.) In missing that, they are going to miss out on a vast majority of the character development.
My main issue is that, unless you are dealing with it via a personal acquaintance, I don't think that many children are going to be able to figure out that May has dyslexia. (I have confirmed this by talking to other students who are reading these books.) In missing that, they are going to miss out on a vast majority of the character development.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
May B lives in Kansas back in pioneer times, when Kansas was still being tamed. While May B wants to continue her schooling, even though everyone around her tells her that she cannot learn. Her parents need her to work to help support the family, so they take her out of school and send her to live with and help a newlywed couple with housework. Shortly after arriving, the wife runs away and the husband follows, which leaves May all alone in time for winter to hit. She works on surviving, waiting on her father to check on her in several weeks.
This was an interesting novel in verse about a girl's will to survive during our historical time. This shows the struggle that would relate to someone with reading difficulties in the distant past and speaks to the need for persistence.
This was an interesting novel in verse about a girl's will to survive during our historical time. This shows the struggle that would relate to someone with reading difficulties in the distant past and speaks to the need for persistence.
bethgiven's review against another edition
4.0
2016: This verse novel for middle graders is a short, read-in-an-afternoon kind of book. Twelve-year-old Mayvis Betterlys -- May B. -- lives on the vast, untamed Kansas prairie during the frontier days. Her parents have sent her to keep house for some newlyweds, but then the Oblingers leave ... and they don't come back. May is left alone in the primitive sod house to fend for herself -- alone except for the wolves, the approaching winter, and her insecurities about her own worth and intelligence. May is a likable, strong heroine, and as she commits to trying again even when she fails, you can't help but root for her. Loved the setting and the story in this easy read.
2022 UPDATE: I read this aloud with my eight-year-old son for the Battle of the Books competition. At first I wasn't sure if the novel-in-verse would make for a good read-aloud, but soon we settled in to a rhythm, and the format made the story and the pages fly by; it was hard to stop when it was so easy to read just a little more, and a little more. We finished the whole book in two days!
My son gives this four and a half stars, noting, "it was sad." I could tell that wasn't a criticism.
2022 UPDATE: I read this aloud with my eight-year-old son for the Battle of the Books competition. At first I wasn't sure if the novel-in-verse would make for a good read-aloud, but soon we settled in to a rhythm, and the format made the story and the pages fly by; it was hard to stop when it was so easy to read just a little more, and a little more. We finished the whole book in two days!
My son gives this four and a half stars, noting, "it was sad." I could tell that wasn't a criticism.
shighley's review against another edition
4.0
Seems strange that I read two books within days of each other that dealt with sod houses (just finished Patricia MacLachlan's Kindred Souls) Other reviews have complained about reading a book in verse, but this book seemed to me to have a very natural flow. There were some very lyrical, insightful phrases, such as, "I hear the sounds I miss when others sleep nearby", and "Prairie quiet is rarely silent". The typography and wording advanced the story effectively.The dedication of the book is very interesting, with Rose as a former teacher, and I have to admit that I never had thought much about what it might be like for someone in that time period who had a learning disability. One thing that bothered me quite a bit was that her family would not travel a mere 15 miles to see her in over 5 months. It should have been relatively easy to travel across the prairie. Otherwise, the plot elements were well done, including some surprises.
mipa_jt's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thelibraryking's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0